1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method in a working machine with a frame movable by means of a wheelwork, in connection with which frame a cabin equipped with a seat or the like is placed for the operator of the working machine, as well as a boom assembly movable around a first pivot point in a first angle sector, the free end of the boom assembly being provided with equipment for work performances to be carried out with the working machine, wherein the cabin and/or the seat or the like for the operator of the working machine is arranged to be movable around a second pivot point in a second angle sector.
2. Description of the Related Art
Particularly, but not solely, the method according to the invention is intended for use in forest working machines, such as forwarder, harvesters, harvester forwarders used as their combination, and tree-planting machines, whose basic construction is similar to that described in the preceding paragraph. Thus, both the boom assembly and the cabin and/or the seat or the like for the operator of the machine in the cabin are connected to the frame of the working machine in such a way that the boom assembly, on one hand, and the cabin and/or the seat for the operator of the machine in the cabin, on the other hand, can be rotated, irrespective of each other, around substantially vertical rotation axes (first and second pivot points). The operator of the working machine in the cabin must monitor the equipment located at the end of the boom assembly and performing movements in a wide sector as the work performances proceed, wherein the cabin is normally arranged, according to most current solutions, to continuously follow the movement of the equipment. As a result, the working conditions are not satisfactory for the operator of the working machine, because the cabin is in a continuous rotary motion during the work performances, the cabin following the movements of the equipment at the end of the boom assembly.
The aim of the present invention is to disclose a method in a working machine, whereby it is possible to avoid the drawbacks of prior art and thereby to achieve a functional system which provides, on one hand, efficient work performances and, on the other hand, advantageous working conditions for the operator of the working machine. To achieve these aims, the method according to the invention is primarily characterized in that, to synchronize the movements by the boom assembly and by the operator of the working machine, particularly for the purpose of optimizing the number of movements by the operator of the working machine during successive work performances based on the movements of the boom assembly and to be performed by the equipment, the following steps are taken:
selecting a monitoring angle sector, or the like, for the operator of the working machine, as well as a location for the monitoring angle sector, in such a way that the equipment is situated in the monitoring angle sector,
keeping the operator of the working machine stationary, if the equipment is in the monitoring angle sector during the work performances, and
moving the operator of the working machine into a new location for a monitoring angle sector in such a way that the equipment is in the new monitoring angle sector, if the equipment moves outside the preceding monitoring angle sector.
When the equipment at the end of the boom assembly carries out work performances, for example felling, delimbing and cutting of a tree in the harvester application, in a specific, selected monitoring angle sector, cutting normally to a specific point of collection, the frontal direction of the operator of the working machine, i.e. the cabin and the seat or the like for the operator of the working machine, is normally stationary in relation to the frame of the working machine. Thus, the operator of the working machine, sitting in the cabin of the working machine, has control over all the parts of the work performance which require visual perception, substantially by eye movements and, if necessary, also by lateral movements of the head in relation to the body. If the equipment moves outside the monitoring angle sector, the frontal direction of the operator of the working machine, i.e. the cabin and/or the seat or the like for the operator of the working machine, is moved by rotating around the second pivot point into a new position, wherein also the direction of the monitoring angle sector is naturally changed and, in this new position of the monitoring angle sector, new work performances are carried out with the equipment, the frontal direction of the operator of the working machine being stationary. In this description, the frontal direction refers to the direction which joins the direction of the bisectrix of the monitoring angle sector and which faces directly forward, the human body being placed symmetrically in relation to the vertical central line of the body, i.e. in a sitting position. The vertex of the monitoring angle sector is substantially at the second pivot point, and the sides limiting the monitoring angle sector are formed by two imaginary vertical planes and extend from the vertex of the sector at an angle to the frontal direction.
According to a particularly advantageous embodiment, the movement of the operator of the working machine is started with the aim of placing the operator of the working machine into a new position of the monitoring angle sector, substantially simultaneously and in parallel with the direction of movement of the equipment, when the equipment moves outside the preceding position of the monitoring angle sector. With this solution, the operation of selecting a new monitoring angle sector can be immediately started, and it is also secured that the operator of the working machine can, in an advantageous working position, maintain a visual contact with the equipment which moved out of the preceding monitoring angle sector.
According to an important application, a new position of the monitoring angle sector is selected for the operator of the working machine, when it is detected that the movement of the equipment outside the preceding monitoring angle sector complies with the definition of a selection parameter set for selecting the new monitoring angle sector. According to the first alternative of the above embodiment, the first selection parameter, and thereby the point on the basis of which the position for new monitoring angle sector is selected, is selected to be the point at which the equipment and the monitoring angle sector of the operator of the working machine, following the movement of the equipment, preferably a side of the monitoring angle sector, meet, if A) the direction of transfer of the equipment moved outside the preceding monitoring angle sector, which is stationary in relation to the frame of the working machine, is changed, and B) if the equipment and the monitoring angle sector of the operator of the working machine, following the movement of the equipment, preferably a side of the monitoring angle sector, meet. Furthermore, according to a second alternative of the application, the second selection parameter is selected to be the combination of a) selected minimum speed of the equipment and b) selected time of movement of the equipment at the minimum speed at the most, wherein C) if the equipment moves at the selected minimum speed, at the most, and D) if the duration of the movement performed at said minimum speed is at least the selected time, the position for the new monitoring angle sector is selected on the basis of the position satisfying the steps C) and D) of the equipment. Typically, a situation in which the definitions for the selection parameter are fulfilled, is, in the harvester application, the step of gripping a tree to be felled next, or the transfer of a felled tree trunk to a processing location. With these alternative definitions for the selection parameter, it is possible to control the situations of selecting the position for the new monitoring angle sector after the equipment has moved outside the preceding monitoring angle sector.
The appended other dependent claims related to the method present some other advantageous embodiments of the method according to the invention.